Garment carrying rack



Nov. 13, 1956 J. A. SQDEN GARMENT CARRYING RACK Filed April 15, 1954 I mmvmx.

Joseph .4. 500's W ATTOQN ILY-S' United States Patent M GARMENT CARRYING RACK Joseph A. Soden, Toledo, Ohio Application April 15, 1954, Serial No. 423,332

3 Claims. (Cl. 211-104) This invention relates to racks particularly intended, but not necessarily restricted, for use in automobiles or the like for carrying garment hangers with various items of wearing apparel suspended therefrom.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a rack of this character that may be conveniently located and mounted in the rear of an automobile interior and which, when not in use, may be compactly folded in an enclosing case and may be easily and quickly projected therefrom a greater or less distance forwardly over the rear seat of the automobile to suit the number and nature of garments to be hung thereon.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in an article of the class described, of a novel form of garment hanging bracket that is composed of a plurality of pivotally connected links, is flexible in one direction in a vertical plane from a substantially straight line position and is rigid or non-flexible in the opposite direction whereby it may be wound in compact reel form within a housing when not in use or unwound and projected outwardly therefrom to form an adjustable supporting arm for a plurality of suspended garment hangers or the like.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and from the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, and in which- Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear interior of an automobile, with the carrying rack embodying the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the carrying rack, with the rack member partially extended and with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a front View of the device, with a part in section on the line 33 in Fig. 2, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are top and side views, respectively, of a few connected links of the rack member.

Referring to the drawings, designates a partial interior view of an automobile of the closed type, and 11 a device embodying the invention mounted on the customary package shelf 12 at the rear of a seat 13, usually the rear seat of the automobile.

The device 11 comprises a base 15 on which a narrow cylindrical housing 16 is mounted and in which latter is coiled a flexible rack member 17 for outward extension through an opening 18 in the peripheral wall of the housing. The member 17, when attached, is stiff or rigid against downward flexing to provide a bracket arm from which garment hangers 19 or other articles may be suspended.

The base 15, in the present instance, is rectangular in cross-section with foot flanges 20 at its opposite lower side edges through which screws may be projected for attaching the base to the package shelf 12. The top of the base is recessed in substantially concaved or arcuate form lengthwise of the base to form a seat 21 complemental to and adapted to receive the lower edge portion of the housing 16, with the opening 18 disposed in its lower forwardly facing peripheral edge portion. The

housing is releasably held in the base recess 21 by a detent 22, mounted in one side wall of the recess. This detent is adapted to engage at its inner end in a registering socket 23 in the housing edge. The housing may be provided around its edge with a series of circumferentially spaced sockets 23 to permit angular adjustment of the housing about its axis to raise or lower the opening 18 with respect to the base. The detent is preferably spring loaded to normally retain it in socket-engaging position, and its outer end is provided with a knob 24 to facilitate handling.

The rack member 17 is composed of a series of links 26 pivotally connected to each other in chain form by pivots 27 with the successive links shouldering at one side of a plane common to the pivotal axes thereof, thus permitting a flexing of the member transversely of such plane in one direction and not in the other. The inner end of the rack member is connected to a center shaft 28 in the housing and its flexing permits coiling within the housing around the shaft. When the rack member is drawn out from the housing through the opening 18, the projected links shoulder against each other to prevent any relative downward flexing of the member beyond the said common plane of the pivot axes, thus forming a straight projecting arm that is supported at its inner end by the lower end wall of the housing opening 18.

In the present instance, each link 26 has lugs or flanges 30 projecting in opposite directions from an end thereof lengthwise of the rack member, the lugs of successive links being at reverse ends thereof so that the lugs of each link may lap those of adjoining links. The pivots 27 are extended through the lapping lugs of adjoining links.

Each lug at the outer side of its pivot, relative to the shaft 28 about which the rack member coils, has its outer end terminating in a surface 31 which shoulders against the body of the adjacent link 26 to prevent relative tilting or pivotal movements of two connected links outwardly, or downwardly in the present instance, beyond a straight line intersecting the several pivot axes. On the other hand, the end portion of each lug inwardly from said intersecting line of the pivot axes is cut away or rounded as at 32 to permit relative inward pivotal movements of two connected links a limited extent as shown in Fig, 2. Each link 26 is also preferably provided through its body portion with a transverse aperture 33 for receiving the suspending hook of a hanger 19. The outer end link of the rack member may have its outer end lug 30 removed therefrom and may be provided with a ring or clevis 34 that is broader than the width of the housing opening 18 to limit movement of the rack member therein.

It is apparent that when the carrying device 11 is not in use, it may be removed from the base 15 and placed in the glove compartment or some other suitable storage space in the automobile, and that when it is mounted on the base 15 the rack member 17 may be permitted to remain coiled in unusable position in the housing. When the device is to be used for supporting garment hangers or the like, the rack member is withdrawn the desired distance to accommodate the number of articles to be suspended therefrom, and in such position provides a carrying arm that is stiff or rigid against any downward movement from a projected substantially straight line position.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a base for mounting on a support and having a recess in its top, a housing of narrow cylindrical form for edgewise mounting in said Patented Nov. 13, 1956 base recess, said housing having a series of circumferentially spaced sockets around its edge and a peripheral opening on that portion of thehousing adjacent the spaced sockets, means carried by the base and releasably engageable with the sockets in the housing to retain the housing seated in said recess and thereby adjust the housing about its axis and the angle of the peripheral opening with respect to the base, a rack member for coiling in said housing about a central point therein'and having its inner end anchored in the housing and its outer end portion ektendible outwardly through said opening by an uncoiling within the housing, said member being composed of'a plurality of pivotally connected links which have relative inward pivotal movements relative to the housing center from a substantially straight line position and have coacting shouldering parts that prevent flexing of the member outwardly in a vertical plane from said straight line position.

2-. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the pivotally connected links have a flat bottom, vertical ends, and a rounded top, each link having a thickened middle portion and a cut-away portion forming a vertical shoul- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Blume June 7, 1921 1,381,986 Gilbert June 21, 1921 1,731,859 Johnson Oct. 15, 1929 1,870,244 Elston Aug. 9, 1932 2,481,471 Crot Sept. 6, 1949 Pincus et a1. Aug. 8, 1950 

